Morris joined Eighteen Visions in 2000 and remained with the group until it disbanded in 2007.

Post-Eighteen Visions, Morris toured as a tech for Hatebreed, worked for Century Media Records, and launched Dethless Clothing. He also performed in a Misfits tribute band, Die Die My Darling, which also featured Bleeding Through’s Brandan Schieppati.

Morris had also manned Revolver‘s tent at the Rockstar Energy Drink Mayhem Festival over the last two years and was set to do so again this summer.

We send our condolences to his friends, family, and fans. Rest in peace.

“Jimmy was completely natural as a drummer and a performer. The Rev was the Tommy Lee of this generation. I remember back in 2002 when I was playing in Bleeding Through, we did a short East Coast/Canadian tour with Avenged Sevenfold. The shows were very small with an awful attendance, but one thing I remember is Jimmy and the rest of the band played like they were in a sold-out arena in front of thousands. They always went for the gold and eventually got it. They’re a true success story of five of the most talented dudes to rock this earth.

“Jimmy was sincere, modest and had a heart of gold. It goes without saying he was born to rock. I am blessed to have called him a friend and to have shared a stage with him.”

Check out “Dakota” from Up From the Ashes below:

Burn Halo, the SoCal hard-rock outfit led by former Eighteen Visions frontman James Hart, drop their sophomore album, Up From the Ashes (Rawkhead), on June 28. But they’re giving us a special sneak peek, with this exclusive debut of new song, “Dakota.” So crank up the volume, hit play, and read below to see what Hart and guitarist Brandon Lynn have to say about the track.

REVOLVER What’s this song about?
JAMES HART “Dakota” is a song of despair. It tells the tale of a person that lives in a black hole. Their emptiness is eating them from the inside out. They’re so consumed by hatred and addiction that they neglect the idea of hope and faith in those that love them.

Which part of it did you come up with first? And what was the inspiration?
BRANDON LYNN I came up with the music bed first. I was inspired by A Perfect Circle, Muse, and Loudermilk. It’s a song I had written a couple of years ago and felt it would be a great fit for what we wanted to do on the new Burn Halo album.

Was this an easy song to write?
LYNN Writing the music bed came pretty easy. It sounds like a song we sat down and wrote together.
HART Most of the vocal arrangements came pretty easy as well. I just sat down with an acoustic guitar strumming out all of the chords and was able to come up with the chorus melody in minutes. Lyrically, the song wrote itself. It’s a dark and aggressive song. I just had to put myself there mentally. Visualizing the things I see in people I know on a daily basis.

What sort of feedback have you gotten on this song so far?
HART It’s all been amazing. It’s songs like this that I think a lot of our fans have been wanting to hear. I know my old Eighteen Visions fan base will come to love it. This is the album I think they wanted from me as a vocalist and I’m glad we could deliver.

“Jimmy was completely natural as a drummer and a performer. The Rev was the Tommy Lee of this generation. I remember back in 2002 when I was playing in Bleeding Through we did a short East Coast/Canadian tour with Avenged Sevenfold. The shows were very small with an awful attendance, but one thing I remember is Jimmy and the rest of the band played like they were in a sold-out arena in front of thousands. They always went for the gold and eventually got it. They’re a true success story of five of the most talented dudes to rock this earth.

"Jimmy was sincere, modest and had a heart of gold. It goes without saying he was born to rock. I am blessed to have called him a friend and to have shared a stage with him.”
 

Avenged Sevenfold; Jimmy “The Rev” Sullivan is at far right. Photo by Clay Patrick McBride